


To Dance Again

by Digi_Wears_Goggles



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Bad Puns, Bromance, Gen, Gen Work, One of those "Genocide happened but it turned out okay" endings, Post-Undertale Genocide Route, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, Post-Undertale Soulless Pacifist Route, Sans and Papyrus Being Cute, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-06
Updated: 2017-01-06
Packaged: 2018-09-15 05:27:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9220757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Digi_Wears_Goggles/pseuds/Digi_Wears_Goggles
Summary: Sans and Papyrus get ready for a dance. Banter ensues.





	

**Author's Note:**

> So my dear friend and fellow Undertale fan, taifireflykari on tumblr, sent me Sans and Papyrus figurines for Christmas. This was extremely nice of him. I wanted to return the favor but uh, I just lost my day job. Fortunately, I still have the amazing power of writing.
> 
> Also, fortunately for me, said dear friend recently did an absolutely stellar formal Sans and Papyrus cosplay with his boyfriend. So, y'know, perfect inspiration. Thus I present you brothers trying and largely being very bad at getting ready to go to a dance.
> 
> If you want you see the cosplays that inspired the fic, you can check out my tumblr: digi-wears-goggles. tumblr. com
> 
> Title comes from the song of the same name from A Very Potter Musical because of course it does.

“Sans, don't tell me you aren't ready yet!”

“All right, I won't tell you.” Sans chuckled from his place on the couch. He remained where he was, his arms acting as a pillow behind his head, slippered feet propped lazily up on the coffee table. There was no sense in leaving a comfortable position any earlier than necessary, in his opinion. Of course, “necessary” came roughly thirty seconds later when Papyrus plucked one of his feet from the coffee table.

“I’m not sure what to be offended by first, your choice in footwear or the fact that I have told you time and again not to put your feet on the table, brother!” The taller skeleton huffed as he glared down at Sans.

“Sorry bro,” Sans drawled as he cracked open one eye to grin up at his brother. “Guess I just wasn’ _t able_ to listen.”

He vanished in a flash of blue, narrowly avoiding his own slipper as it was yanked off his foot and thrown at him. “Hey, careful, those are quality dumpster diving prizes. You know, from ye olden days,” Sans said from his brother’s left, using magic to rescue the footwear in question and return it to its proper place.

Unfortunately, this closer and distracted position only made it easier for Papyrus to grab Sans off the floor. “Ugh. Just look at you. I know as a brother you cannot help but emit slime, but could you at least button up your shirt?” The taller skeleton tsked.

“Maybe. Maybe not.” Sans shrugged as he slumped in his brother’s red gloved grip like a cat. His grin dropped slightly as he finally took the time to properly inspect Papyrus’ outfit. “Are you wearing a tux?”

Papyrus nodded as he set Sans back on the floor. “Well, of course! It is important that I always look my best, after all,” He declared as he adjusted the jacket he was wearing, taking careful note to ensure the many buttons and the coattails were all in proper place.

“I thought this barrier anniversary shindig was semi-formal?” Sans pointed out. His brow furrowed as he leaned back to make it easier for Papyrus to finish buttoning up the shirt.

“There’s no such thing as semi-great, Sans. Similarly, you are either formal or you are not. So, _obviously_ , I intend to be formal _and_ great, as usual.” Papyrus nodded decisively as he pulled back, fiddling with his bright red bowtie.

Twinkling eyelights glanced up at him for a moment before Sans smiled wryly. “You’d look great if you could stop messing with that, pal.” The bowtie in question flashed blue as Sans adjusted it. “Where’d you get this anyway? I don’t remember you buying this at the store.”

“You were _asleep_ at the store.” Papyrus pointed out as he handed Sans a teal vest.

“Eh. Once you’ve seen one shopping center, you’ve seen _a mall_.” Sans snickered to himself as he shrugged the vest on.

“UGH,” Papyrus groaned. He glanced down at the white tie in his hands, then looked back to Sans’ dark blue button up shirt, the light blue vest, and the dark slacks. “I must admit, you managed to put something half decent together for a brother who cannot quite reach the clearance rack.”

Sans snorted. “I’m surprised you didn’t say the ensemble’s a bit _beneath you_.”

Papyrus let out a long-suffering sigh, but his face crumpled for a moment. “I considered it…” He trailed off, clearly fighting something, then opened his mouth again. “But I was worried it would go _over your head_.”

“Hey now Paps, don’t sell me short!” The smaller skeleton snickered as he adjusted the vest to its proper level of rumpled.

Papyrus gave a long-suffering groan. “I already regret indulging you.”

“Aw, c’mon Papyrus…” Sans grinned as he looked up at his brother. “Just _a little_ more?”

Papyrus threw the tie in Sans’ face.

The shorter skeleton chuckled as he peeled the material off his face and began to thread it under the collar of the blue shirt. “Sorry, couldn’t resist,” He said as he let the two ends of the tie flop onto his front, then reached out and flicked his fingers. A white fedora with a black ribbon jerked from its place on the table and settled comfortably onto his head. “And there we go, all set. See, Paps? Wasn’t worth all that fuss.”

“Are you not going to _tie the tie_!?” Papyrus sputtered.

“Eh, it’s good.” Sans shrugged.

“No! No no no, absolutely not!” The taller brother exclaimed, reaching out to grab the two ends of the material. “It is in the name of the garment, you can’t just not do the one thing the name calls for!”

“I’m a rebel.”

“Rebellion implies effort, Sans,” Papyrus huffed as he began to struggle with the tie. “Admit it, you probably do not even know how to do this. Fortunately I, the Great Papyrus, am…” His brow furrowed as he continued to tug at the material in question. “Erm… the… Great Tie… Tie-er...  um…”

“You don’t actually know how to tie a tie, do ya, buddy?” Sans asked, grinning up at him.

“Of course I know how to tie a tie!” His brother cried. “You just… tie it? L-like shoes?” He pulled back, frowning at the messy knot the tie had become.

Sans chuckled, undoing the mess in a flash of blue. “All right, watch me. You hang it with both ends lined up, right? Then you grab the big guy and you pull it to your right, like this, and then pull the big guy up and under the little guy. Then you go over and down the loop you’ve made here to your left, then back under the small guy to your right, then across the front to the left again… then you go up under and now you got this loopy loop, see?” He wiggled his skeletal fingers through the loop, then tugged the wide end of the tie down and through it.

Sans pulled the tie tight, leaving a knot that, while a bit crinkled and lopsided, certainly seemed presentable enough. “And there you have it. It takes some practice, but it’s not too hard once your hands get used to it.”

Papyrus gaped down at him. Sans grinned blankly. “What?”

“Wherever did you learn how to do that!?” The taller brother sputtered.

Sans shrugged. “It’s a useful skill, even if I don’t really like doing it. I had to look at least kinda presentable for… y’know, old job.” He winced at the mention as it left his jaw, feeling something drop in his nonexistent stomach.

Papyrus picked up the slack. “And to think, all I have is a clip-on! I will have to practice if I want to catch up to my lazybones brother! Here you’ve gone and made yourself mildly presentable!”

“Aw, don’t say that, I couldn’t tell it was a clip-on.” Sans said as he glanced up at Papyrus. He frowned for a moment, tapping his chin. “You are missing something though…” He then snapped his fingers, stepping past Papyrus.

Sans shuffled past his own jacket carelessly hung on a nearby chair, then plucked the infamous red scarf from the otherwise neglected coat rack. The instant he grabbed the thing in question, he regretted it. After all, the last time he’d actually held the thing was--

_Dust motes mixing with the snow, soft red in his hands, frayed red clutched to his chest, not fair, not fair, he hadn’t held this thing in years because Papyrus never took it off and it shouldn’t be here couldn’t be here wasn’t fair wasn’t fair what was the point in even taking care of the scarf when there was no one to wear it why why why--_

“Sans, as much as I love my scarf, it does not go with my outfit.” Papyrus, mercifully, cut into the memory.

“Nah,” Sans’ grin slid back into place as he turned back and used magic to help guide the fabric over his brother’s shoulders. “Can’t have the Great Papyrus without his scarf. Besides, the shindig’s semi-formal. Now I’ve gone and dragged you down to my level.”

Papyrus snorted. “I would never sink so low.”

“You’re right,” Sans chuckled as he carefully tucked in the ends of the scarf, then let the rest drape dramatically behind his brother. He stepped back, taking in the sight, felt his grin fall a bit easier. Back where it belonged and where it would stay. He didn’t really believe it, but well… this was new for both of them, right? That was something.

“There we go, perfect. You look cool, bro.” Sans paused for a moment, then snickered. “You could say the look _suits_ you.”

“I revoke all of the compliments I was about to give you,” Papyrus groaned. His gaze flicked up and down, then he gave a sigh. “I cannot believe you’re still wearing slippers… but we are running late.”

“Aw, that’s not true, bro. No such thing as late. We arrive precisely when we mean to, not a moment before or after.” Sans nodded sagely.

“Well I _mean_ to be on time,” Papyrus huffed. “I don’t suppose you…”

“Gotcha covered,” Sans drawled as he reached up to hook elbows with his brother and walked in the exact opposite direction of the front door. “Hey Paps, why didn’t the skeleton dance at the disco?”

Papyrus’ brow furrowed as he glanced down at his brother. “Why?”

“Because he had _no body_ to dance with.”

Papyrus’ cry of outrage followed them out the living room and onto the dance floor.


End file.
